On
the afternoon of the 24th of Sepetember a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck in
Pakistan's remote south-west province of Balochistan. The quake was so powerful
that reports of the tremors were felt as far as India's capital of New Delhi.
An island appeared off the coast near the port of Gwadar following the
earthquake, which incitited local curosity and scientists alike. Although the
island that emerged following the earthquake was a marvel to behold, the quake
itself caused awful destruction and death within the Balochistan province.
According to the Balochistan government spokesman, Jan Muhammad Buledi, 300,000
people had been affected within the six districts of the Province (Awaran,
Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Chaghi and Khuzdar). Additionally, Buledi stated that
the current deathtoll in the area was 328 with more than 440 injured. Many
houses were flattened and thousands of people were forced to spend the night in
the open. Noor Ahmed, a 45-year-old farmer in the area, stated that "We
have lost everything, even our food is now buried under mud and water from
underground channels is now undrinkable because of excessive mud in it due to
the earthquake." The regional capitol Quetta has reportedly sent soldiers,
medical teams, and supplies, but the mountainous terrain in the province has
made communication and rescue attempts difficult. Rescuers are concerned about
the easily collapsible mud homes that most of the people in the affected areas reside
in. Since they are not strong enough to survive such devastating earthquakes it
is a possibility that many of the survivors are stuck underneath the rubble.
Picture of the Balochistan Province with the quackes epicentre indicated.
Picture of a collapsed home within the Balochistan Province.
Video describing the devastation within Pakistan's remote south-west province of Balochistan following the 7.7 - magnitude quake that struck on the afternoon of September 24th.
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